Tapestries of Hope

A feature-length documentary and social entrepreneurship effort to bring awareness to the story of globally renowned human rights activist Betty Makoni and the Girl Child Network (GCN) in Zimbabwe, Africa.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Tapestries is beginning its home stretch (woo hoo!). With a strong post production team in place - led by line producer Christopher Bankston, editor Jessica Sison and writer Susan Black and backed by the amazing post production facilities at FatBox Films - the team, led by director Michealane Risley is hoping to have a rough cut in the Fall, in preparation for premiere in 2009!

Thanks for all your support (real world at our fundraisers, blogosphere and everything in between). We'd love to see you at an upcoming fundraiser on October 19th at the McGrail Vineyards in Livermore (see invitation below). Signup online.

Also, Tapestries was invited to a panel discussion organized by the Producers' Guild of America featuring pathbreaking filmmakers who are leveraging new media to raise money, build audience and find distribution for their projects. Other filmmakers included Mark Jonathan Harris, who is behind Darfur Now and other Oscar-winning documentary films and the panel was moderated by Peter Broderick, who has worked with Christopher Nolan and 600+ other filmmakers on online strategies.

ps: huge shoutout to Jessica (our editor) whose short is screening at festivals everywhere. Track a screening near you!

Friday, August 8, 2008

Christian Science Monitor recently wrote a feature about filmmakers successfully leveraging their online / social network fans to help with fundraising, and Tapestries was featured in this story. An excerpt:

Filmmaker Michealene Cristini Risley has connected with activists concerned about sexual abuse by blogging about her experiences, which include being arrested and detained in Africa for filming without a journalist’s permit. “[The documentary] goes after that niche audience that is aware of the issue, that is somewhat socially conscious,” says Anand Chandrasekaran, one of the film’s producers.

The film is well into post production and preparing to be completed in the Fall. Also, director Michealene Risley was invited to the Women@Google series, which has featured Sen.Hillary Clinton among others in the past. Below is the video from the talk:

This Saturday, June 28th, 2008, from 1 to 3 pm, is the Tapestries of HopeFundraiser Wine & Music Event. You're invited to Wente Vineyards (California's oldest family owned and continuously operated winery) for an afternoon of live music, free food, wine tasting, and helping our human rights cause in the historic (air-conditioned) Estate Winery Barrel Room, located at 5565 Tesla Road in Livermore, CA.

Enjoy live music from winemaker Karl Wente's acclaimed band The Front Porch, which includes Tapestries of Hope producer Ray Arthur Wang, a retired concert pianist. The Front Porch rotates through multiple genres for a truly unique listening experience: hear original music as well as The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Van Morrison, Tom Petty, Chick Corea, Beethoven, Gershwin, etc. (Joining The Front Porch for this charity event will be world renowned percussionist Kenneth Nash, famed for his collaborations with Bobby McFerrin, Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, B.B.King, Woody Herman, Weather Report, and many more.)

All proceeds from the concert ticket sales go to complete Tapestries of Hope, the human rights movie and social entrepreneurship effort that you're familiar with. Michealene will speak at the event.

For the philanthropists out there, tickets go for donation levels of $25, $100, and $500, the latter two coming with great perks.Click here to RSVP today!

For those with a tighter budget, there are group discounts: you can show up at the door in a group of 2 for $5 OFF each $25 minimum entry fee.Show up in a group of 3+ for $10 OFF each entry fee.

As a thank you for your donation to our registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, you will receive up to $50 savings off wine and merchandise in the Wente Family Estates tasting rooms. Restrictions may apply.

Finally, the blog love for Tapestries of Hope continues with this nice read.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Tapestries is in post-production (a HUGE shout-out to Kent and the amazing team at Fat Box, and our editors Robin Chin and Vanessa Perez!)... feels like the beginning of the home stretch. From the first meeting with Betty Makoni in April 2007 and beginning of pre-production in Summer '07 to now feels like a long journey. Now the wait begins...

The ability to tell such a powerful and important story... we're excited, to say the least!

The blogosphere is excited too this week. Following is a snapshot of the collective bear hug the project and its director received:

Obviously, it’s a touchy subject to awaken the world to the story of two child abuse survivors fighting to expose these horrors, but Michealene has managed to ‘pay it forward’ with profound positivity by giving people the tools to engage at IndieGoGo, a cool social media film fundraising site for supporters like me to make a difference.

I’m so lame. Tapestries of Hopehas been on my to-blog list for a minute, but I hadn’t gotten around to it because it deserves much more than a rush job, and that’s where I am these days. But Amy Jussel at ShapingYouth has done the damn thing–and done it right.

On another positive note, Tapestries is the first movie to repeat online fundraising success on the new site IndieGoGo! Check out the project's page and get involved today. You can choose the movies that get made.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Can you imagine? Four dollars would buy most of a fast food meal in the United States, perhaps a cup of designer coffee. In Zimbabwe it is enough to motivate boys to beat pregnant women with nail ridden planks and smash the skulls of old men into the earth, blending their blood with the rich red soil of this beautiful but anguished country.

Freshwater Haven launches FUTURE Earrings ($60)

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About Us

"Tapestries of Hope" is a Documentary of Fresh Water Spigot, an independent film production company based in California. Our core team is: Writer/Producer/Director Michealene Cristini Risley, Producer Anand Chandrasekaran, Producer Ray Arthur Wang, and Executive Assistant Lauren Carara.
Read more about Fresh Water Spigot at www.freshwaterspigot.com.
For more information about "Tapestries of Hope", please email tapestriesofhope@gmail.com